Donny
by The Atomic Cafe
Summary: Stella hates men. MacStella, StellaFlack


**Donny**

**By Dimgwrthien**

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: NY or affiliates._

Mac inserted several quarters into the machine and waiting for the water bottle to come tumbling out. He grabbed it and pulled off the cap before taking a sip. He hated working crime scenes in the summer: he didn't want to change into other clothes, but suits were too warm for the hot weather. He felt sweaty and uncomfortable, even if it didn't seem to show to anyone else.

The door to the break room opened and shut quickly, and Mac saw a curly head duck under the table.

"Stella?" he asked, looking to see her. She was bent down by a cabinet as she rummaged through its contents. It was a moment before she pulled out a can and slammed it angrily on the table.

"I hate this," she snarled as she took a seat.

Mac sat down beside her. "What did the soda do?"

Stella glared at Mac as she popped over the lid with more force than necessary. Mac raised his eyebrows. "It's not the soda," she answered, still glaring at the can. "I just can't believe Donald."

"Donald?" Mac asked slowly.

"Don. Flack. I don't give a shit right now." Stella waved her hand out the window to the hallway, and Mac looked. Flack and Danny stood on the opposite side of the hall, talking to each other. Both seemed determined not to look in their direction.

"Donald?" Mac asked again.

"Don't give me that," she snapped.

"I'm not giving you anything," he answered evenly. "I'm just curious as to when you started calling Don 'Donald'." When Stella didn't answer, he asked, "What did Don do?"

"He's such -" Stella leaned forward, hoisting her shoulders up and frowning. "He's such a bastard, you know that?"

Mac blinked. "What's he doing to deserve that?"

Stella waved at the window again. "First off, he's completely ignoring all the evidence I found on our case, and last night, he -" Stella broke off.

"Last night," Mac repeated blankly. "Did I miss something in there?"

"He just forgot to meet up with me, alright?" Stella's voice dropped as she spoke, and she didn't meet Mac's eyes. "And don't give me any shit about the ethics of this lab, alright?" Her voice raised again as she spoke, just as angry as before. "I don't need to hear it right now. I know what it means, and we don't actually work together, and if you say a word, you're just going to be a hypo-"

Mac touched Stella's shoulder to stop her. "I didn't say anything."

She seemed to visibly deflate. "I know. I just wouldn't put it past you."

He chose not to answer. "So, which is bothering you - Don not agreeing or Don ditching you?"

"He didn't ditch -" Stella broke off again and took a sip of her drink. "Both."

Mac studied her profile for a moment, then looked out the window to Don and Danny. They seemed to be leaving to the labs or outside. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am," Stella snapped. She paused and sighed. "Alright, I think his _inconsiderate_ behavior is worse right now. At least he _has_ to see sense in the evidence."

"Have to spoken to him?"

"How could I?" Stella asked. "He's been avoiding me all day. Yesterday, we were agreeing on everything, and now -"

"Is he ignoring you because you can't agree on the case?" Mac asked, trying to keep Stella's voice low and stop her from leaving on him.

"I don't know." She sounded defeated. "Maybe. We were really fighting on that one."

_You're dating Don?_ Mac wanted to ask, but he tried to keep away from the question. "How long have you been together?" he asked in spite of himself.

Stella turned his can around without answering. Mac opened his mouth to apologize, but she said, "Month, maybe a little bit more."

"Oh." He couldn't think of any else to say. "Congratulations."

"Don't lie." Stella looked up at him gloomily.

"I wasn't."

"I already said. it. Don't even think about giving me any shit about this, alright?" Stella's glare was back, as well as the bite in her voice. "You're just making yourself into a hypocrite."

Mac kept quiet, though he wanted to tell Stella everything there. It didn't make him a hypocrite, he told himself. He spent half of his time worrying about his work relationship with Peyton, and it was causing him enough stress. He could barely concentrate in the morgue or his office because he kept thinking Peyton would find him, kiss him like she always did or even so much as touch him in a way to make him suspicious.

Stella put her head in her hands and breathed deeply. "I'm sorry, Mac. I'm just - I hate it when this happens."

Mac nodded. "Need me to talk to Don?"

"No." Stella combed back her hair with her fingers. "Don't tell him I said any of this. Please. I think he knows as well as I do that this relationship is… dying."

"Who started this?" Mac asked, staring at his water bottle.

"I did." Stella gave him a wry grin. "Just got… lonely, you know? I was so used to having Frankie around…." Her voice broke slightly. "And - well, I couldn't think of many people I knew outside the lab, and we're all kinda…" She moved her hands in a circular motion. "We're tight, yeah, but not in the way I wanted. You were busy with Peyton, so… there was Don." She smiled.

_Busy with Peyton._ Mac bit the inside of his cheek. "Stella, you know I'd never be too busy to help you. We've known each other nearly fifteen years. If that doesn't say something, I don't know what does."

"That's not what I mean." Stella comb back her hair again and sighed. "I just _needed_ someone, you know?"

Mac studied the ridges in the bottle cap. He couldn't help but feel offended, as much as he tried not to let it show. "I'm still here," he said quietly.

Stella closed her eyes as though she wanted to explain it to him again, make him understand the true implication of her words, but she remained silent for a moment. She put her warm hand on top of his and sighed. "I know you are, Mac."


End file.
